“Pre-Alpha”, “Beta”, “Post-Gamma” - those terms mean almost nothing. To Jon, Alpha could be what others consider beta.
I’m sure that’s true but that’s how Jon himself labels the current phase. From the tasklist:
Seems kind of odd to label it that way, but whatever.
Wasn’t this supposed to be out already? If it’s truly slated for Q1 '18 that’s way behind schedule, even with Jon’s health issues.
Ha, so not only did Jon disappear for months without explanation (leading some to worry about his health), he’s now announced that he’s partially moved on to other projects? He owes everyone an apology.
The radio silences weren’t handled well, but a man’s got to eat. I have no issues with him working part time on other projects to pay the bills.
This. Everyone knows KIckstarter is a crap shoot. He owes you nothing.
Completely agree here (that developers need to eat) and people should know what they’re getting into with Kickstarter campaigns (though better communication would handle the situation better).
For sure he owns nothing to no one, but he’s not doing himself any favors. I imagine some of his backers will hesitate to fund in any future KS venture he may start.
I say this as someone who likes Jon - I would be super pissed if I were a backer and he said he’d moved on, even partially. At the end of the day, you took my money and have failed to provide the service and now you’re claiming to be involved in other projects?
On the other side, of course he should take on other work but I wouldn’t FUCKING ANNOUNCE IT IN A NOTE TO MY PISSED OFF BACKERS.
I agree fully. But I’m not particularly interested in bringing the hammer down on Jon myself. I simply hope that he is able to complete an interesting game soon, because I think he is capable of making games I really like.
This. Look, I like the stuff Jon has made, and he seems like a nice guy, and I can’t fault a guy for needing to eat, but money was given on the promise of an eventual delivery. You guys saying he “owes nothing” don’t seem to be familiar with Kickstarter’s own rules. These aren’t donations to a charity. It’s project funding. The quibbles here are the timeline (which in this case has been adjusted) and clear and timely updates to backers.
I hope Jon has success with his other projects, but I also hope he eventually delivers on this one.
I still think the concept for this game is killer, and that’s why I backed it. I sort of forgot about it over the many months since then, so I’ll just forget about it until it eventually shows up I guess!
haha that’s how I treat EVERY KickStarter. I just eventually get a package I didn’t remember ordering in the mail and am pleasantly surprised.
Kickstarter is a gift delivery service where you can surprise yourself with a present when you least expect it.
But only if said present ever gets delivered. :/
That’s why it’s a surprise!
I don’t think he owes an apology in the legal sense. But if you truly think he shouldn’t apologize, then I can’t imagine what it must be like being your friend. "Hey, you promised to pick me up at work today and never showed! " “Yeah, but other things came up, plus I owe you nothing!!”
Perhaps if Jon had said, “Hey, this is a crapshoot, I probably won’t finish this for at least 4-5 years, and I’ll take on other work while doing it, and I’ll stop communicating with the community for about 6 or 7 months at a time without warning, but please contribute!” Then maybe that’s okay. But he definitely didn’t do that.
Would I offer an apology out of courtesy/friendship? Sure? Do I owe one as an obligation? Absolutely not.
That’s a weird distinction. Aren’t you “obligated” to apologize to your friend?
[quote]
ob·li·ga·tion: an act or course of action to which a person is morally or legally bound; a duty or commitment.[/quote]
Some people really need help with scheduling and PR. Jon seems like a nice guy, so the situation doesn’t really offend me. However, people who criticize his actions don’t offend me either.
Not every talented person with a bit of success is cut out to be an entrepreneur/business owner. I wish it were easier in this society for such people to build equity without also having to ‘be the boss.’